REFILE-SBM Offshore's Q1 revenue dips 4 pct, order book down 2 pct

May 9 (Reuters) - SBM Offshore, the Dutch offshore
oil production and loading vessels leasing company, reported a 4
percent slip in first-quarter revenue on Friday to $782 million,
which it said was in line with expectations, while the order
backlog was off 2 percent at $21.66 billion.

"We have delivered a steady performance in the first
quarter, with revenues in line with expectations. Tendering
activity has accelerated, but we remain conservative in our view
of the speed of project awards," Chief Executive Bruno Chabas
said in a statement.

The company maintained its revenue forecast for the whole of
2014 at $3.3 billion.

Meanwhile the company said it was awaiting the outcome of
external investigations into claims that the company had paid
bribes to win contracts.

Last month Brazil's supreme court approved a congressional
inquiry into a claim that officials at state-run oil company
Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras), took bribes from
SBM.

SBM Offshore said in April an internal investigation found
"some evidence" sales agents in Angola and Equatorial Guinea
made $200 million in improper payments to government officials
in those countries but it found no concrete evidence of bribes
paid in Brazil.

"The publication of the findings of our internal
investigation into potentially improper sales practices was a
significant step forward, and we now look to the public
authorities to complete their work," Chabas said on Friday.

"SBM has striven to address compliance and ethical conduct,
and I am proud of the way everyone at SBM has embraced this
programme. We recognise that our clients value our approach, and
we look to the future with confidence," he said.

It gave no additional details on Friday about the Brazilian
charges, but said it "remains in active dialogue with the
relevant authorities."

SBM Offshore last year began using a different "directional"
financial reporting system which it said was intended to give
investors a clearer picture of operating cash flow.
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(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Greg Mahlich)